From Containment to Free Flow

Preface 9

1. Innovation is a must! But how? 13
The importance of innovation 14
The unique nature of public organisations 16
What this book can do for you 18
My approach 19
Your route through this book 21
Case 1: Seize the moment, Molenwaard municipality 25
Case 2: Dare to provoke, The Hague municipality 31
Case 3: One step back, two steps forward, Bunnik municipality 35
Case 4: Pulling together as a recipe for better justice, Public Prosecutor's Office 39

2. A targeted approach with the innovation model 45
What is innovation? 47
What is your innovation challenge? 50
The 4F Innovation Model 52
The innovation process steps : Fiddle, Flow, Focus, Fit in 54
Monitoring 56
Innovation strategy 57
Innovation success areas 58
An innovation-friendly ecosystem 58
Extra: how the 4F Innovation Model relates to other innovation models 59

3. The innovation process steps 61
Fiddle: the courage to do it 62
Flow: allowing a thousand flowers to bloom 69
Focus: taking creative ownership 71
Fit in: embedding the application 73
The process stages in practice 74
Case 5: Innovation can be the norm, South Holland province 77
Case 6: Putting collaboration on the map, Leidschendam-Voorburg municipality 85
Case 7: Reclaiming what's valuable, a collaborative venture by the joint
Dutch water boards 89

4. How to define your innovation strategy 96
Innovating under the radar 98
Innovating in the spotlight 101
Innovating in a dark basement 102
The context strategy 103
The copycat strategy 106
How the strategies interrelate 107

5. Entrepreneurship 111
Identifying and seizing opportunities 113
The courage to go do it 116
Using systems that reward entrepreneurship 118
Creating and using professional space 121
Taking a different approach in a political and administrative context 124
Exploring across organisational boundaries 126
Case 8: Giving rivers space to roam, Dutch Directorate-General for
Public Works and Water Management 129
Case 9: Particulate matter for thought, Dutch National Institute for
Public Health and the Environment 137
Case 10: Every problem is an opportunity, Dordrecht municipality 143

6. Innovative administration 147
Innovative administration defined 149
Seizing opportunities 152
The courage to stop doing it 153
Maintaining the balance with the primary process 153
Deploying innovation teams 154
How to handle those with political responsibilities 158
Collaboration and connection across organisational boundaries 160

7. Leadership 163
Working from a collective ambition 165
The courage to do it differently 167
Harnessing the power of the role model 169
Working with a leading coalition 170
Alignment with political and administrative responsibilities 174
Staying connected 176
Case 11 Clear the way for the doers!, Nijkerk municipality 179
Case 12: Change on the radar, the Justis screening authority 185
Case 13: Talk to the market and the market will talk back, Drechtsteden region 191

8. Implementation 199
Time and focus for the implementation process 201
The courage to keep doing it 202
Learning from mistakes and celebrating successes 205
Allocating responsibilities 206
Leaning on political and administrative responsibilities 206
Striking up partnerships 210

9. How to create an innovation-friendly ecosystem 213
Employees with the right skills 215
Employees with diverse backgrounds 218
Using engagement as the starting point 220
Working on a different culture 222
Leaders who do the right things 224
Sharing information 226
Monitoring the results 226
Creating room for reflection 228
Calling each other to account 229
A suitable work environment 230
Case 14 It's all about identity, Zuidhorn municipality 233
Case 15 3D breakthrough, Dutch Land Registry Office 239
Case 16: Collective ideas for broader support, Zeist municipality 245

10. A plea for structural innovation 253
The public sector has a moral duty to innovate 255
Genuine innovations are impossible without public organisations 257
Public organisations can go out of business too 259
Public organisations must lead the technological revolution: it's make or break 261
Innovation affects us all 265
Innovation is human nature 267
Innovation is in public organisations' nature 268
Annex 1: What is your innovation challenge? 272
Annex 2: Success areas for innovation at public organisations 275
List of people involved 276

Acknowledgements 278
Notes 279